A long time back, I mean a really long time back and I don’t even know how long back I saw a trailer of Mallana on YouTube. I remember remarking to my colleauge how disgusting, wierd, and irritating the promo was. Interestingly, even the promo was ridiculously long. Mallanna has all the elements in it to make it a blockbuster disaster: (i) it took way long to make it to theaters (ii) absolutely irritating songs (iii) and the film has been released in over 50 theaters in Hyderabad alone (a clear indication that the distributor wants to make as much in the first two days). Everything (trust me, I mean everything!) about this film is irritating and Mallanna, at least in Telugu, is sure headed for blockbuster disaster.

You need to understand that there are several threads running parallelly and at a fast pace. In fact, the director wants us to really feel the pace so the camera moments and editing is that for TV serials—childish, zooming in and out on the faces, and other chillar stunts. Unfortunately, Mallana has a really meaningless story. Mallana IPS (Vikram) is a CBI officer, he along with his boss (none other than Super (Joker) Star Krishna; Mahesh Babu’s father) are raiding unethical business rascals with the frequency of a local SP locking up local pick-pockets. You really do not know what happens next because the camera moves so fast and the editing is so strenous on your eye, but you are given to see that huge chuncks of this money is being managed by a group of young guys, including Mallana, in an underground hi-tech cellar. Next, the money thus collected is delivered to those poor people who have been submitting wish-lists at the local temple of Lord Mallana. Yes, you got it—-poor people pray to Lord Mallana, write their wishes and stick it to a tree, Mallana has a collaboration with the temple priests to collect these wishes, and the re-loots the raid money to give back to the poor. Yes, there is also an elephant sized police officer played by Prabhu who is investigating the case as he beleives the person behind answering the prayers is a human not God. Meanwhile, one such business man that Malllanna messes with is PPP; no it’s not Public Private Parternship it is Pallur Paramajyoti Ponnusamy (Ashish Vidyarti). PPP and his daughter Shreya vow vengence. Shreya pretends to be fall in love with Mallana and towards the end of the first half Mallanna’s identity is revealed!

With the film all but over in the first half, you can imagine the torture one has to go through for the rest of the second half. Yes, the second half is total bullshit. Mallanna agrees to partner with PPP. On this pretext, he and Shreya go to Mexico (trust me, there is no reason for them to go to Mexico, but for adding some publicity to the film) to transfer some money or some crazy scheme involving drugs, money trafficing and Indian business men. He swipes off all wealth from PPP’s Mexican bank account and now he is on to the next villian. Anyways, I will not torture you anymore with details, but I hope you understand that this film is not easy to sit through—there is no entertainment. Although the concept of the film is fine, the execution and story is pathetic. True, we have seen plenty such hit films, but the audience does’t mind another one provided it is clear, cohorent, stable, and entertaining. For a National Award winning actor, Vikram acts like an idiot in this film. I wonder what is wrong with him—he only seemed to be talking in whispers without even making any expressions like some sort of a machine. The film seems to be made just so that Vikram can show off his talents, but alas with a poor script it is more like a fancy dress show—a Hen-Man get up, the lady get up, the old brahmin get up, the mexican get ups. Total nonsense.

The most irritating aspect of this film is the leading lady Shreya. Poor girl, she tries her best to expose, but the story, direction, and editing is so bad that every time Shreya comes on screen it just gets on your nerves. In fact, all the Vikram-Shreya sequences are just irritating. Whats with the mind talk?—they think aloud first and then talk. Next, the music. Devi Sri Prasad delivers his most irritating compositions ever. Period. The entire pora-pove sequence makes you feel like flying in to the screen and damaging it and add to that Mamata Mohandas’s irritating voice. There are too many songs in this film and all them just get to your nerves. Mumaith Khan delivers, in my opinion, her career’s worst, most disgusting item number ever. Just some time back she said in her interview she wants to do more family-type movies; then whats this? In the film she plays a dancing escort @ Rs 30 lakh and her dance is absolutely repulsive for the song Pacha gadi koseti…

The movie falters because of bad direction, idiotic editing (it looked like a cheap film), Vikram’s styling, and a nonsencial story. In fact, the film is over by the first half. Susi Ganesan tries to draw from all Shankar movies and perhaps Vikram has interfered and the end result is that the film will give a headache at the end of it’s really long run of 3 hours and over. At times, you just cannot understand the sequences/episodes as to why they happened and what happened. I wonder what was the need for Vikram to pick up this film considering that his last big hit, Aparichitudu, was more or less on the same lines. Of course, towards the end, the hero who gave money to the poor is acquitted because all those who received the money say that it was the Lord who gave them the money and not this Mallana IPS. Yes, there is also the big dialogue about the amount of black money in our system and how it can and should be used for the poor.

Although I am a strong supporter of single screens and of RTC X Roads, Hyderabad, in particular, I strongly advice you to not watch this film in Sandhya 70mm—the sound system is really bad and it will surely give you a headache in addition to the headache of the film. There is not even a single sequence or dialogue in the film that is worth a whistle or a scream. Come to think of it, a couple of them showed their excitement during the Mexico blindflood fight sequence, but thats about it. On the second day in it’s main theater in Hyderabad, I couldn’t seel an extra ticket I had (the car park guy finally sold the Rs. 50 balcony ticket for Rs. 35!). The film is bound to collapse and no wonder Dil Raju, the distributer, gave it out in so many theaters (including two in opposite theaters of RTC X Roads (Sandhya and Devi, but latter is only till release of Josh) and one in Shanthi 70mm).

The film is a bad case of Tamil overaction. Sify.com has given rave reviews for Kandasamy, so may the Lord Mallanna help those who go by that review. All Telugu web-reviews have given a violent thumbs down for this disaster of blockbuster proportion! Do not get fooled by all the fancy get ups on Mallanna posters! The Hammer?—thats what Mallanna IPS uses when he goes to raid—uses the hammer to smash through walls to take out the money!

Mr. Inkenti’s Movienomics Verdict: Two Thumbs Down! Vikram, please do not show off. Just stick to a good director and a sensible script. Kindly keep away from this film as it is bound to give you a headache.

impactorsaid

I really cant infer what made the producer Kalaipuli S Dhanu waste all dat money on this “visual distravaganza”.. I believe had.. Shriya Saran been chucked out of the movie storyline and all those songs (more than an hour of them, i presume) removed except for one the Cheyaan with deliver boys sing-song.. this movie could have been improvised to an extent never seen before in Tamil cinema.. off course the cinematography is highly commendable.. but why all this masala..to put in a rightful social message??? I seriously feel it’s high time Tamil Cinema shud get over this masala cacoethes, and focus on improving all aspects of the film,.. the mos important of which, i have found to be the script and editing.. i know for a fact that most of the talkies in town are overbooked, but isnt this torture for the tamil ‘makkal’ especially shriya in all those horrendous, loathful song sequences and attire. I had Vikram in high regard, even before Anniyan.. and cant really comprehend at least, why he couldnt put an end to the masala overdose and stick to the core point of the film.. Tamil makkal.. get over this masala-lusting nature and ask for what is more reasonably visually appealing for your 2-3 hrs of dat money.

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Mr.Inkenti is an academician, social researcher, observer, blogger, and a fan, who studies entertainment media and related affects off/on human behavior and society. The views expressed on this blog are entirely Mr.Inkenti's and do not in any way possible represent anybody or anything. Mr.Inkenti blogs about the public affairs from RTC X Roads, Hyderabad to Oslo, Norway. Welcome, aboard.